String arguments to functions - (String & msg) or (String msg)

[arduino_new]

PieterP:
It is common practice to write int *ptr = ..., but this is equivalent to int* ptr = ....

It actually depends. I'm used to use int *ptr myself. But the new codebase I'm working on requires int* ptr.

Additionally, if you have:

void mess(String &msg) //pass by reference

and

void mess(String *msg) //pass by pointer

Most of the time you would want to use the first case because it is safer.